Malau-Aduli, A.E.O., Nightingale, E., McEvoy, P., Eve, J.U., John, A.J., Hobbins, A.A., Alamoudi, A.A.S., Petrie, K.R., Damen, P., French, M.E., Cragie, A.M., Bales, S.K., Kashani, A., Holman, B.W.B., Vargas-Bravo, J., Jones, S.M., Malau-Aduli, B.S., and Lane, P.A. (2012) Teaching animal science and genetics to Australian university undergraduates to enhance inquiry-based student learning and research with sheep: growth and conformation traits in crossbred prime lambs. British Journal of Educational Research, 2 (1). pp. 59-76.

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Abstract

The primary objective of this Australian Wool Education Trust funded teaching initiative on inquiry-based learning and research-led teaching approach was to enhance students' critical thinking and target their learning needs through active participation in hands-on experience with experimental sheep. The secondary objective was to study the effects of sire breed and sex on growth and body conformation traits in crossbred prime lambs at the University of Tasmania Farm, Cambridge. Body weight, average daily gain, body condition score, body length, withers height and chest girth in sixty first cross Merino lambs sired by White Suffolk and Poll Dorset rams were measured fortnightly over a ten-week period. Generalised linear model procedure in SAS was used for statistical analysis and included the fixed effects of sire breed, sex, fortnight and their second order interactions. Duncan's Multiple Range Test, correlations between growth and conformation traits and Bonferroni probabilities were estimated and used for comparisons.

A fortnightly increase in lamb body weight, average daily gain and body condition score was evident. Wethers were heavier and had higher average daily gains than ewes. White Suffolk sired progeny had higher average daily gains than those sired by Dorset rams, but body weight did not differ between sire breeds. However, a highly significant interaction (P<0.0001) between sire breed and sex on body weight was evident as White Suffolk sired wethers were the heaviest prime lambs. It was concluded that the real world, hands-on research experience with experimental sheep, field trips, data collection, statistical analyses, data interpretation and seminar presentation of results facilitated a deeper student understanding of the scientific concepts of sire genetics and nutrition interactions in sheep growth.

Item ID:	32508
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2249–5983
Keywords:	research-based teaching; inquiry-based learning; crossbred lambs; growth; body measurements; White Suffolk; Dorset; Merino; sheep genetics; SETL
Related URLs:	Publisher
Funders:	Australian Wool Education Trust (AWET)
Date Deposited:	03 Jul 2014 03:46
FoR Codes:	11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1199 Other Medical and Health Sciences > 119999 Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere classified @ 100%
SEO Codes:	92 HEALTH > 9299 Other Health > 929999 Health not elsewhere classified @ 80% 93 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 9301 Learner and Learning > 930102 Learner and Learning Processes @ 20%
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